Kicking bad habits can reverse heart disease, claims new study

HEART disease can be halted or even reversed in middle age by ditching an unhealthy lifestyle, a study revealed yesterday.

Published: 00:00, Wed, July 2, 2014

Patient undergoing a CAT scan - with grainy images of their heart flashing on the monitors [GETTY]

It is never too late to kick bad habits and make simple changes, it showed.

Quitting smoking, cutting back on drink, taking up exercise and eating a healthier diet can undo heart damage and slash the risk of a heart attack.

The second myth is that the damage has already been done – adulthood is too late for healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Clearly, that’s incorrect

Professor Bonnie Spring, of Chicago’s Northwestern University

But people who drop healthy habits and pick up more bad ones as they age are at risk of doing significant damage to their heart health, the findings of the US study published in the journal Circulation showed.

Professor Bonnie Spring, of Chicago’s Northwestern University, said: “It’s not too late. You’re not doomed if you’ve hit young adulthood and acquired some bad habits. You can still make a change and it will have a benefit for your heart.”

The research concluded that changes made in your 30s and even 40s can have a big impact.

Study volunteers were assessed at ages 18 to 30 then 20 years later.

The findings debunked two myths, said Prof Spring. “The first is that it’s nearly impossible to change patients’ behaviours. Yet, we found that 25 per cent of adults made healthy lifestyle changes on their own.

“The second myth is that the damage has already been done – adulthood is too late for healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease. Clearly, that’s incorrect.”